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sunflowersabrina's review against another edition
3.5
This book is very focused on the author’s own experience (understandable) and sexual abuse. It is often explicit and this may be hard or triggering for a lot of readers (it was for me). It also glosses over the strong undercurrent of racism within the family and how messed up a lot of elements are like Witnessing.
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia
playswithstring's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Deportation, Eating disorder, Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Body shaming, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Physical abuse
bookobsessed_kb's review
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape
growintogardens's review
3.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Abandonment
Minor: Bullying, Addiction, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
The descriptions of assault are really graphic. Also, rape/assult continues throughout the book.pinksy's review against another edition
4.0
Heartbreaking
Fascinating
Harrowing
Honest
Graphic: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Abortion
pamelaaaa's review
5.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
graceemacee's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Animal death
hookerkitty's review against another edition
2.0
This had potential, but missed the mark. While the first chapter about the history could’ve been interesting, it ended up being so incredibly dry that I almost gave up then.
After that there was SO MUCH unnecessarily graphic depictions of child physical and sexual abuse, and sexual abuse of adults. She didn’t need to go into so much detail; it was wildly uncomfortable and difficult to get through. It doesn't help that she wrote everything in the present tense. She wrote somewhat childlike for instances that happened when she was younger, but also used words that no 3 or 4 year old would use (or hell, most of the people there since they were only allowed a sixth grade education — side note: them having at least one spelling error in the titles of their educational material cracked me up).
I also find it hard to believe she remembered all that stuff in such detail from when she was that young. There were other instances throughout the book that also seemed like they skirted the lines of truth. (I’m not at all accusing her of fabricating her story, just that some instances here and there seem a little embellished).
There was more than one instance where she used a word without telling the reader what it meant. It was annoying to have to Google stuff to understand what she was talking about. I didn’t realize until I had finished the book that there was a glossary at the end. While that’s nice to have, a short definition when the word is introduced would’ve been much more appreciated.
It started to get better (or less uncomfortable) halfway through the book, but then dear god (hah) did her superiority complex come out. Lots of cringey thoughts and behaviors. The end had some stuff in it that I found useful, or at least could be a building block for some of my trauma processing.
I decided to look at her website (prompted by another review) and it seems that she has turned into the people she says she escaped from. Tons of red flags of courses that’ll fix your life with no mention of price, only an email, and she even went on Dr. Oz. Yikes on trikes all around.
I’m definitely disappointed with this book. I’ve always been fascinated by cults, but this went waaaay too graphic about the multitudes of abuse that happened (to both adults and children), with hardly any reflection of how it affected her. She can still be quite defensive about everything. I’m also disappointed in how she went from having no self esteem to rocketing over to pretentious and egotistical. I’m really glad I got this on Prime Day instead of paying full price for it.
Another side note - did anyone else get the feeling that she might be bi or gay? Her portrayal of some of the girls/women were much more descriptive and seemed like she was way more attracted to them than any of the boys/men in this book
Graphic: Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Medical content
Moderate: Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Blood, Excrement, Pregnancy, Grief, Confinement, Racism, and Incest
Minor: Police brutality, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Alcohol, Death, Deportation, Terminal illness, Suicide, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, War, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, and Bullying
shanamcq's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Pedophilia
hunkydory's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and Sexual content